


Why the Sun Sets Red

by tatersalad5001



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: AkubrokuWeek, F/F, Gen, Post-Kingdom Hearts III, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-12
Updated: 2018-08-14
Packaged: 2019-06-26 09:00:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,427
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15659997
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tatersalad5001/pseuds/tatersalad5001
Summary: Putting together all the prompts for AkuBroku Week in one spot. These are also going up on tumblr, but they'll also be all together here.Day 1 - Roxas and Lea meet up in Twilight Town (Post-KH3)Day 2 - Let's go to the beach next time we get a day off. (Post-KH3)Day 3 - (I suppose you two are gonna stew up some twigs and rocks, right?) Nope, we’ve got something even better. Marshmallows! Just like the astronauts eat. (Post-KH3)





	1. Memories

**Author's Note:**

> been wanting to write more kingdom hearts stuff, these prompts hit the inspiration just right, so i’ll be doing at least some of the prompts for [AkuBroku Week](http://mintyskulls.tumblr.com/post/176575499486/akubroku-week). will be posting everything on tumblr as well as ao3, you can find day one's prompt on tumblr [here](http://datanamines.tumblr.com/post/176907607662/day-1-memories). Day 1's prompt is Memories.
> 
> This here will update every day that I write a prompt. At the end of the week, all prompts I do will show up here, we'll see how far I get. The prompts are good, I just might be a bit busy at the moment.
> 
> This first one is post-KH3; Roxas and Lea meet up in Twilight Town.

The sun hung high in the sky, blue filling Roxas’ vision as he looked up. It was early in the afternoon, and the station was relatively deserted.

The popsicle in his hand wasn’t sea-salt ice cream, it was more of a grape flavor. He didn’t dislike it, it wasn’t bad, but the sweetness without the accompanying taste of salt left him longing.

It was quiet. The sound of approaching laughter, a playful bump against his elbow as someone else arrived with ice cream, none of it was there. It was just Roxas, along with a grape popsicle at the station, staring up at the clock tower. The clock tower, empty and lonely, no one waiting for him at the top.

Everything was different now. Even Roxas no longer sported his Organization uniform, and he was beginning now to branch out from the usual checkered street clothes he’d worn before, too. Different wasn’t bad. Nothing could stay the same forever, and Roxas had no desire to rejoin the organization, but it felt…weird. Not right.

Someday, maybe, it’d feel right again. Maybe this would feel more right than anything else ever did. Roxas hoped so. The promise of the life that could stretch out in front of him now sounded sweeter than anything he’d tried to cling to before.

He heard the voice before he noticed the approaching footsteps.

“Looks like I wasn’t the only one craving ice cream today. Can you belive they’re out of sea salt?”

For someone with such a loud personality, Lea could sure be quiet when he wanted to be.

“It’s hot,” Roxas complained, turning around to face him. “I have to deal with it somehow.”

“Well, you know what they say.” Lea waved his ice cream through the air before taking a bite. “Great minds think alike.”

“Then this idea must be terrible,” Roxas snorted. Lea gave the appearance of pretending to be offended a good effort, but he soon gave up as they both started laughing.

In a following moment of silence, Roxas looked over Lea, and his eyebrows rose. “You’re still wearing the Organization coat?” he asked. “I didn’t think you were the sentimental type.”

“Well, when you’re in the Organization as long as I was, none of your other clothes really fit anymore once you leave,” Lea explained through his ice cream. “It’d be a disaster if I tried to wear anything else.”

“And you’ve had no time to get any other clothes since then,” Roxas clarified, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

“Can’t a guy catch a break?” Lea whined, his shoulders slouching forward.

“Maybe. Just this once,” Roxas decided. “I think we all need a break right now.”

“Like a summer vacation?” Lea joked.

Roxas shivered. “Not like that. I couldn’t handle another summer vacation.”

“Right.” Lea took another bite of his popsicle. “So, what brings you here? I know you got ice cream, but you can eat it anywhere.”

At that, Roxas frowned. He stared up at the clock tower, empty yet looming above them. “It’s… We always used to eat ice cream here, together,” he answered. “We’d do our missions, get ice cream, then get ready to do it all again. That’s all we used to do, we didn’t have time to do anything else. Now, we don’t have missions, and…”

“Now that you’ve got the time, you don’t know what to do with it,” Lea finished.

“Yeah.” Roxas nodded. It’s not like he didn’t have some idea; his time spent in the simulated Twilight Town had him invesigating mysteries, performing jobs… But none of that appealed to him. He didn’t have the inspiration to do anything, barely had any motivation, either, given the weather. So when he thought of what he was going to do earlier, getting ice cream was the only thing that came to mind. It was just like their last vacation in the organization.

“I’ll tell you what,” Lea decided. “We promised we were going to go to the beach, and we still haven’t done it yet, right? Well, let’s finally do it. We’ll set a date and we’ll go. It’s summer, so the timing’s perfect. And maybe you’ll finally figure out what to do with yourself there.”

“Really? Thanks, Axel.”

Lea snorted. “Come on, what are best friends for?”


	2. Promise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Let's go to the beach next time we get a day off.

They’d made a promise to go to the beach.

It was about time they made good on that.

So, once the date came, Roxas and Lea gathered all their beach gear and got themselves ready. Of course they invited Xion, there was no question in that. She was part of that promise just as much as they were. At Lea’s suggestion, Namine was invited as well, though Roxas and Xion were thrilled to have her along. (It’s about time she gets to go to a beach herself,“ Lea had mumbled.) Lea was the only one of the four with any kind of swimsuit, so the day before, the four of them’d had a big shopping trip. Now they each had everything: swimsuits, towels, and beach activities and accessories.

Now, it was time.

After they picked their spot on the beach, Lea carefully laid out a towel in the sand before lying down on the towel himself.

"Are you really just going to nap at the beach all day?” Roxas asked.

“What else did you expect? Of course I am,” Lea answered. “There’s nothing better to do at the beach.”

So, Lea did just that. Roxas took a walk out into the waves. Namine began building an elaborate sandcastle using buckets and various molds. And Xion took out a frisbee to play with her dog. (“We have to go to a beach that’ll let us bring dogs!” Xion had insisted.)

However, Lea’s nap wasn’t to last, because the other three weren’t about to let him sleep the entire beach day away.

A splash of water woke him up quickly.

“What was that for?” Lea complained, immediately trying to wipe away any trace of water on him. “Can’t a guy nap in peace around here?”

“We need you if we’re going to have even teams for bocce ball,” Xion told him.

Lea stretched his arms out. “Can’t you guys do singles and take turns?”

“Yeah, Roxas and I played three whole games already,” Xion explained, rolling her eyes. “Namine doesn’t want to play unless we do teams, and if we’re doing teams, we need you.”

The bocce equipment hadn’t even been out, last Lea remembered. How long had he been asleep? It’d been nice while it lasted. “Alright, alright, I’m up,” he said as he stood up. “What are the teams, anyway?”

“You’re on my team.” Suddenly Roxas was there, handing Lea two of the balls for their team. “Namine and Xion are the other team.”

“Oh? Then by all means, ladies first,” Lea replied.

Xion offered Namine the smaller white ball to toss to start off the game, but Namine shook her head. Xion then tossed the ball herself, letting it land a good three feet away from them.

“What about your dog?” Lea asked Xion.

“He’s behind us, he’ll be good and stay there,” Xion answered. She grabbed the first ball to throw for her team. “I won’t let him get hurt.” She threw the ball. It landed what looked to be pretty close to the white ball.

“We can beat that, easily,” Roxas told Lea.

“The last game wouldn’t agree with you,” Xion argued.

“And the game before that would!” Roxas countered.

“Now, now, let’s not fight like this.” Lea put a hand on each of their shoulders. “But, Roxas is right, we’ve got this one in the bag.”

Roxas grinned. Xion stuck her tongue out at him. With a laugh, Roxas picked up a ball and tossed it. It landed about as far away as Xion’s.

Namine’s turn was up. She picked up her ball, swung her arm way back, and took a big step as she threw. It landed about a foot away from the white ball, farther away than any of the others.

“Sorry,” she apolgized to Xion, offering her a sheepish grin.

“No, you’re doing great!” Xion told her. “Roxas and I already got a lot of practice in already. You’ll be a pro in no time.”

“Yeah, not everyone can be naturals like us over here!” Lea added, gesturing to himself and Roxas.

Roxas elbowed Lea in the side. “You haven’t even taken a turn yet. Don’t screw it up.”

“Who do you think you’re talking to here?” Lea put a hand up to his chest in mock offense. “I used to play this game a lot in Radiant Garden, I’ll have you know.”

“Just take your turn,” Roxas snorted, while Namine giggled at the two of them.

Lea picked up his ball, stared directly at the white ball, and threw. It landed a few inches away, closer than any of the others.

“Whoa,” Xion whispered.

“That’s…a pretty good throw,” Roxas admitted.

“That was great!” Namine grinned.

Lea laughed. “What did I tell you guys? I’m a natural!”

When the points added up in the end, it was close, but Lea and Roxas took the victory.

“We almost had it,” Namine assured Xion, who was puffing her cheeks out at the other two’s celebration. “You’re really good.”

“I think it’s time for a rematch,” Lea decided. “I was taking it easy on everyone before, but this time’s gonna be the real deal!”

“Yeah!” Roxas went up for a high five. “You guys don’t stand a chance against Axel!”

“Not so fast.” Lea left Roxas hanging. “I’m switching teams. Can’t resist going with the top talent available.” He walked over to Namine and held a hand out. “What do you say, Namine? Let’s teach these two a lesson.”

Namine took his hand and shook it. “It would be my pleasure,” she answered with a smile.


	3. Summer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> (I suppose you two are gonna stew up some twigs and rocks, right?) Nope, we’ve got something even better. Marshmallows! Just like the astronauts eat. (Post-KH3)

“If we want a good campfire,” Lea called out to Roxas, “We’re going to need everything. Dry wood, of course. We’ll need a lot of that. But pine needles especially, to start up a good fire.”

“Do we really need all this when we can both use fire magic?” Roxas asked. “We could set just about anything on fire and it would work.”

Lea scoffed. “You really need to learn the importance of a good campfire,” he said. “It’s not about the fire, it’s how you make it, and we’re going to need a good one.”

“Alright.” Roxas stared around at the forest ground. “So just like, grab everything then? What about leaves?”

“Nah, not leaves,” Lea corrected. “Pine needles and any kind of wood should do it, just make sure everything’s dry.”

It was a good night for a campfire, even if they weren’t necessarily camping. The campfire had been Lea’s idea, of course, while Roxas was more interested in looking up at the stars. But the biggest problem was that while they had a place to start the fire, neither of them had anything to actually use to feed the fire. So, out into the forest they’d gone, in a search to grab everything they could.

Pretty soon, Roxas had an armful of branches, bark, and pine needles. Satisfied, he went back to the spot they’d picked out, where Lea soon joined him with equally as many materials.

“Perfect,” Lea decided. “This should keep the fire going for awhile.”

The two of them made a pile of everything, and then Lea began arranging some of it for the initial fire-starting. Once everything was in place, he snapped his fingers, and they had a campfire.

Roxas sat down in a folding chair near the fire. Immediately, he began scooching the chair away from the fire. “It’s summer, you know,” Roxas pointed out. “Is it a little too hot for this?”

“Nah,” Lea responded, plopping himself down closer to the fire than Roxas was comfortable with. “You don’t have to sit right up to it if you don’t want to. But summer’s the perfect time for camping, which means it’s the perfect time for campfires.”

“If you say so,” Roxas said. He turned his eyes up to the sky.

The sky was clear. They weren’t too close to any towns, cities, or anything like that, which made the stars more visible, too. It wasn’t like Roxas knew much about the stars. He wasn’t really sure what they were, and he didn’t know any constellations or anything. But he used to like to look up at them sometimes, while he was in the Organization and while he was in the digital Twilight Town, before he went to sleep at night. It had comforted him somehow, put a smile on his face when everything else seemed lost.

Now, they just looked like lights in the sky. None of it elicited any response in him.

He frowned.

“Got something on your mind?” Lea asked.

“Looking at the stars used to help me feel better about everything,” Roxas told him, still staring at the sky. “Now, I don’t really feel anything about it.”

“Huh.” Lea picked up a branch and twirled it between his fingers. “This won’t be the reason you want to hear. But, you know, Ven really likes stargazing. He always has.”

He…Ventus, yeah. Ventus did like looking at the stars, didn’t he? What else did he like? Being with his friends, not being treated like a child…

A marshmallow pelted Roxas in the forehead.

“Stop that.” Lea’s hand was still outstretched from the throw. “Wipe that look off your face. You’re not Ven, we both know that. Let’s hop off that train of thought and make some s'mores.”

“What…we don’t have anything to put the marshmallows on to hold them over the fire,” Roxas pointed out.

“We have plenty of things!” Lea protested. “Branches! They’re everywhere!”

“Wouldn’t that be a little…” Roxas began.

“Just wipe the dirt off and try it. It won’t kill you.”

With a sigh, Roxas picked up a branch, and the two began roasting their marshmallows. Soon enough, their roasted marshmallows were between graham crackers with some chocolate, and the two had a few s'mores each on hand.

“These are pretty good,” Roxas mumbled between bites.

“Yeah, they came out well, huh?” Lea asked. “Nothing beats sea-salt ice cream, but there’s nothing wrong with some variety, you know?”

“Variety?” Roxas stared at him. “You used to eat sea-salt ice cream every day.”

Lea rolled his eyes. “You say that like you didn’t do the same exact thing.”

The two of them shared a look, and laughed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hah, i don't think i'm gonna keep going. shit's....pretty busy and stressful right now.
> 
> We didn't always play bocce ball exclusively at the beach, but it's been awhile, since we went to the beach and since we played bocce ball. I was thinking about bocce ball the other day. Kinda miss both. 
> 
> Back at summer camp...we always looked forward to the one night we'd make s'mores at the campfire. We had a campfire every night, but we only made s'mores one night, and I haven't made s'mores in awhile, either. And I obviously haven't been to camp in awhile. Maybe sometime I can make s'mores in the microwave if we've got the stuff for it. Ah, well, I have other good things, too. Kit Kat minis and elmer fudge cookies and snicker bar ice cream...
> 
> I don't think I'll keep going with this, but I hope you enjoyed. It was nice to just, write some standard Kingdom Hearts again. I know Re:Build is still ongoing, but outside that, the characters and situations I've wanted to write for Kingdom Hearts I just...haven't had the inspiration for. Maybe after this, I'll figure it out. Either way, see you on the flip side! Thanks for stopping by!


End file.
